135 replies to this topic

[TWoP Howard]

From ZAP2it:

A young father struggles to protect his family and humanity following an alien attack.

Just one note to begin with: the only thing on topic here is the current episode. If you want to talk about previews or spoilers, or speculate on where the show is going, please take it to the appropriate thread. Thanks!

Edited by TWoP Howard, Jun 25, 2011 @ 6:23 PM.

[bagert]

I was impressed by:

1. The teenager Jimmy surviving the first two episodes. I thought for sure he was a redshirt (i.e. a candidate for that harness).

2. The introduction of "survivalists" as a counterpoint to the "resistance" fairly early.

3. The theory about the mechs being specically built for use on Earth.

4. The Sawyer-type providing good info concerning how to attack the Skitters one-on-one.

I was disappointed by:

1. The fact that they used someone that looked and acted like Lost's Sawyer was too distracting for me.

2. Mason not considering that the Skitters might think entirely differently than humans.

3. TNT allowing a Battle: LA commercial to remind them of the similarities with that movie. What's next: an ad for V: Season 2? LOL

[Make It So]

Not bad. And I like Bloodgood and Wyle as the principals. There's a lot of expository establishment of the main characters for now (Tom's a History Professor! He reallly is!) but that's to be expected for now.

One minor gripe is the convenient quick turning of that female outlaw. If The lead outlaw was as smart as he portrayed and his men had treated Female Outlaw as badly as she said at one point, why would Leader leave her guarding the prisoners? Anyway, minor gripe.

I hope we at least get flashbacks of the initial invasion. I understand that the show may not want to be cliche (yes, invasions have been portrayed hundeds of times), but I'd still like to see minor portrayals of how it happened.

[Munchiewoman]

I liked it, mainly because I liked several of the characters. I like the relationship between Tom and his son and I see good potential for a lot of the characters to grow, even the hardass Captain. Colin Cunningham seems more like a Ham Tyler than a Sawyer to me.

So, triangle or quadrangle with Hal and the three women around his age? I could do without "I ask God what I can do for him " girl, but I like the other two.

The one thing that really really bothered me was three hundred people walking, in broad daylight, up a hill where anyone could see them.

[TWoP Howard]

I thought that the scene with Matt sleeping peacefully in bed was going to be a flashback, until Tom poked his head into the room. I think it works not to see it, though. They described it pretty well with Matt’s drawings, and it would be a big expense for the budget, I expect.

4. The Sawyer-type providing good info concerning how to attack the Skitters one-on-one.

He was definitely Sawyer like. I liked that they introduced an outlaw group, too. The tension in the resistance between the fighters and the civilians added an interesting edge as well.

One minor gripe is the convenient quick turning of that female outlaw. If The lead outlaw was as smart as he portrayed and his men had treated Female Outlaw as badly as she said at one point, why would Leader leave her guarding the prisoners? Anyway, minor gripe.

I can buy that she did her best to fit in after that, and to not draw any suspicion to herself. If he didn’t trust her, I think he would have shot her earlier rather than feed an unnecessary mouth. Also, the aliens are terrifying enough that she must have known she’d never make it on her own, so there was no point in rebelling until she had a chance. It did seem to be an impulsive decision after the other guys made it clear what they had intended for Hal’s girlfriend.

I did like that she asked if the brother was going to make it before she shot him—no sense wasting a bullet on someone who was going to die anyway. It was a pretty badass moment for me.

[TVspectator]

The Good:

This wasn't bad to watch and I did like how they had the little kid explain the backstory (in the beginning) . Also, it wasn't as bad as the new V, SGU, The Event, or Caprica (which is always a plus).

The bad:

Right now the characters kind of suck (they seem boring) but I would like to see a sci-fi show to just go back to the basics of sci-fi (zap guns, goofy aliens, goofy languages, spaceships, etc...) without trying to be the next BSG or Lost ; overall, not bad, but not great (more of a "meh"). I do hope that they make the characters more interesting without a retcon or have crazy WTH "twists."

[bagert]

(Tom's a History Professor! He reallly is!)

I was afraid they weren't going to use a real university but I think I heard Tom tell "Sawyer" it was BU (Boston University). That was a better choice than MIT or Harvard, since they wanted Mason to be more of an "everyman".

I think it works not to see it, though. They described it pretty well with Matt’s drawings, and it would be a big expense for the budget, I expect.

I agree that the drawings were very effective; however we also know from previous promos that they have filmed live-action scenes of the attack, which I am guessing we'll see later.

Finally "Sawyer" guessed that 90% of Earth's population is gone, others have said 80%, but in large cities like Boston (which were attacked directly) the death rate should be and is much higher; there were over 7 million people in the Boston area, there appear to be 4,000 in the Boston resistance (including civilians), and not many more besides them. That implies that 99.9% or more of Boston's population is dead or has fleed the immediate area.

[bbell]

I want to like and watch this show. But I think the writing will be on the level of the last Star Trek series. People who should know better doing totally stupid things.
1. They actually made camp in a small valley. When your enemy has air superiority and mechanize armour. WTF
2. Not stripping what looked like armour from the dead alien. Or a reason why they did not. Help me.
3. Military types needing to figure out how to fight the aliens the six legged ones effectively from a civilian.
4. You have c4 and no one knows how to make an IED. I guess that is what happens when kill all your terrorist.
5. A leader approaches you with a threat. With humanity hanging in the balance. The reply should have been to put a few rounds in his body before he could finish the sentence.
6. No use of radios. EMP's no matter how strong would not wipe out all electronics devices. Devices not running with zero power usages should survive. At least the ones on the outer range of the blast.

I think the characters in this show will if not already fall into the category of to stupid to live long. But some how they will.

[tpel]

Well, it's better than the "V" re-boot. Yeah, I know, that's not saying much . . .

I grew to hate Wyle on ER, but here, a few years older and a bit less smug, I didn't mind him so much. The impromptu history lessons have got to go, but I warmed to him a little when he snagged a book to bring with him, and I liked his snark about how tenure turned out not to be so helpful after all. In the latter two cases, he seemed much more like an actual academic.

None of the characters really grabbed me, though the head outlaw guy has potential maybe. I guess it's worth tuning for a couple of weeks anyway.

[thuganomics85]

Found it a bit slow at times, but overall I liked it enough to keep watching. Wyle and Bloodgood were solid enough as the leads, even though it seems obvious that they probably planning on having those two hook-up in the future. Of course, it looks like Hal is going to be the one that gets all the love interests (besides the two now, I wouldn't be surprised if they try something with Maggie in the future.) Speaking of Maggie, already digging her. Sarah Carter is able to convince me that she can be a badass, even if she looks like a model. And Will Patton did the rough and tough guy act perfectly.

The outlaw subplot was fun and I noticed that the second hour (which involved that) was written by Graham Yost, the creator/show-runner of Justified. And when I think about it, I could totally see Boyd forming an outlaw group just like that if aliens ever invaded Harlan (Raylan though, would probably try to take both the aliens and outlaws on at the same time and it would probably end badly for him.)

For better or worse, this did have a bit more of a Walking Dead feeling to it, as oppose to The Event/V re-boot. I'll stick with it for now.

[montferrat]

I hope we at least get flashbacks of the initial invasion. I understand that the show may not want to be cliche (yes, invasions have been portrayed hundeds of times), but I'd still like to see minor portrayals of how it happened.

Amen.
When you show the initial invasion in the intro, ie: "Watch Falling Skies in 3..2...1.."
And then I sit there for 2 hours waiting for at least a flashback of it , then I feel a bit cheated.
I still liked the premiere tonight, but felt a little let down not seeing the invasion.
They better show it in the next couple of weeks.

One thing I noticed was, everyone seemed to have sons. Whether they were with them, dead, or harnessed. Only the long haired dude mentioned he had a boy and a girl.

I really liked the scene where Hal was going to go scouting with blonde girl and he's walking away from his dad and then Tom says some things don't change and Hal comes back to give his dad a hug, but he's all covertly looking around to see if Blondie, or any of the guys are watching first. Heh....

Edited by montferrat, Jun 20, 2011 @ 12:16 AM.

[bagert]

EMP's no matter how strong would not wipe out all electronics devices. Devices not running with zero power usages should survive. At least the ones on the outer range of the blast.

I'm assuming that this was a technology that took out all electronics even more completely than an EMP. It could be something like the effect that Nantucket's disappearance had on the world in SM Stirling's Change Series. (Which brings up the point that if steam power hasn't been effected, humanity might rebuild using "steampunk" technology.)

Finally, I forgot to mention earlier the scene where Mason is deciding whether to bring A Tale of Two Cities or 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with him as they get ready to bug out of Boston. Mason choose the former, meaning that 20 years from now "Leagues" might be a "lost novel".

[Raid Maze]

Well, there's a lot of characters and I don't know any of their names. That is the worst part of starting a new show. I did like the 13 yr old solider and the Christian girl crushing on History Teacher's son was nice as well. Their characters had easy to understand motivations, making them stick out from the blob.

Things really did pick up when we got introduced to the outlaw and his scumbag group. Every show like this needs an internal antagonist, otherwise things get boring. I was hoping to see what kind of cell they had put together for him. Maybe next week?

Overall, decent enough, but nothing outstanding.

[MommaJ]

Wow, 45 minutes in and H and I looked at each other and simultaneously said "That's enough." What a cheesy piece of junk. Do they actually think we'll watch ANYTHING in the summer? When it comes to the first episode of a post-apocalyptic drama, Walking Dead was gripping; this was a snoozer.

Edited by MommaJ, Jun 20, 2011 @ 2:59 AM.

[gnocchi]

Maybe my mistake was watching this after the Game of Thrones finale. However, I think the premier was boring enough to stand on its own.

[Make It So]

I agree that the premiere wasn't outrageously exciting - but I'm hoping that there's a buid-up going on here. I don't mind a little build-up while we're being introduced to everyone, as long as they don't take too long to get to the pay-off - and they keep the story interesting without completely losing steam (yes, still looking at you, V).

I understand the internal conflict element produced by the Outlaws. In fact, it's realistic that there will be some scavengers in a post-apocalyptic society. I just hope that if the show is planning on bringing the Lead Outlaw into the fold of the resistance (which it seems they are doing), that they are very careful with how they do it - otherwise it could be very corny and unbelievable. The guy was a self-professed unapologetic criminal before and after the invasion - he shouldn't become a good guy too quickly - or at least without enough real incentive.

Edited by Make It So, Jun 20, 2011 @ 5:07 AM.

[ElaineofShalott]

I was impressed by:
3. The theory about the mechs being specically built for use on Earth.

While that was the theory the characters were discussing I rather thought the implication is that the Skitters are a slave race rather like the harnessed children and we haven't actually seen the real alien overlords yet.

[Accord64]

A couple things I liked about this.

First, we jumped right into the aftermath. I thought not going through painful set-up stories leading up to and through the initial attacks was a good thing (although I think they will come later as LOST-style back-stories).

Second,.. Well,.. I stand corrected. There was only one thing I liked.

Overall, it was an expected disappointment for me. I say 'expected' because although I want it to succeed, all the stupid hype and the fact that it has Noah Wyle as a lead character almost doomed it from the start. I'm not familiar with any of the pre-production facts, but I can't help but to wonder if this show was first rejected by ABC. It played like a dumbed-down sci-fi production.

Oh, and being from the area that this story is supposed to be set in, I find it irritating how generalized they were about the geography. Throwing out a few town names and a couple of major roads hardly gave it any metro-Boston credibility. I know it probably doesn't matter much to anyone not from this area, but I might have made it a little more interesting for us locals if the writers at least used Google maps and a history book! They passed by some obvious nearby historical towns like Lexington & Concord. Instead we get Acton and Littleton. Yawn.

Then there were the characters not fitting the region, but that's what happens when you put Noah Wyle in the show...

[AngelKitty]

I just hope that if the show is planning on bringing the Lead Outlaw into the fold of the resistance (which it seems they are doing), that they are very careful with how they do it - otherwise it could be very corny and unbelievable. The guy was a self-professed unapologetic criminal before and after the invasion - he shouldn't become a good guy too quickly - or at least without enough real incentive.

Me too. My first thought was that they should just shoot him in the head. I really hope keeping him alive doesn't come back to bite them in the butt. I suppose he could be usefull as a fighter, but do you really want to give him a gun? He could have ideas the good guys don't think of just because he's a criminal, but they have military guys and Tom, the historian to think up strategies. No, they should just shoot him in the head.

The one thing that really really bothered me was three hundred people walking, in broad daylight, up a hill where anyone could see them.

I was a bit confused by that too. I guess the aliens don't bother with large groups of refugees, unless they shoot off flares.

All in all I liked it, but I like these kind of stories.

[goofball]

Was expecting marvelous and got 'meh. I was thinking this would be a show about aliens and fighting them (War of the Worlds), but instead this is a show about people in unusual circumstances (Lost). That makes sense as you have to stretch things (and production budgets) out for a full season at least.

Was it my imagination, or did absolutely no one have a "Boston" accent.

[bagert]

While that was the theory the characters were discussing I rather thought the implication is that the Skitters are a slave race rather like the harnessed children and we haven't actually seen the real alien overlords yet.

Good point, Accord64. Let's talk about that more in the Speculations thread :)

[Elisende]

I wanted to like it but the pacing was so very slow. Skipping straight to the aftermath was an edgy choice but all it did was highlight why you see the establish-safe-suburban-life-then-see-it-destroyed-by-aliens plotline so often: the invasion is the interesting part.

I thought the effects were well done. Colin Cunningham (Outlaw Guy) was awesome. He didn't strike me as Sawyer-y at all -- he came across as much more dangerous and much less annoyingly smug. The guy who played Weaver also did a good job. He managed to temper his performance just enough that you could see why people would follow him despite the fact he's an asshole.

One thing I noticed was, everyone seemed to have sons.

I noticed this, too, and it bugged. Also, apparently there are no mothers worried about their kidnapped children?

[FurryFury]

I wasn't terribly psyched about the pilot, but I'll continue watching for now. The Pope character was definitely the standout, but most of the others didn't make me hate them (which is good enough), with the exception of Lourdes (the religious girl), whom I can't stand already. And she seems to be in the main cast :( She's, like, the only character who hasn't done ANYTHING other than hit on a guy who already has a girlfriend. Ugh.

Hal is sure easy on the eyes, so at least I can understand her somewhat. I hope, though, that he won't have too many love interests. His girlfriend seems nice enough. I think this actress played Hannah on "Veronica Mars" and I was one of the few people who liked her :)

[Frost]

Overall, I enjoyed it. I had nightmares last night about an alien invasion so I guess it resonated with me! I thought the first hour was a little slow but then it picked up speed. I thought I heard one of the outlaws call the leader Pope, so that's what I'm using until I learn otherwise. Pope came across very odd to me. I'm really confused about why he immediately brought up the Sumerians as soon as Tom said he taught history. I know not all thugs and criminals are stupid, but bringing up the ancient civilization of the Sumerians seems like a pretty big leap to me. But then when I googled it, all kinds of web sites popped up about ancient aliens supposedly influencing the Sumerians so maybe that's the angle the writer's are going with.

Edited because I'm not the only one who heard the character called 'Pope'

Edited by Frost, Jun 20, 2011 @ 9:13 AM.

[cjuniverse]

I thought the first hour was a little slow but then it picked up speed.

Agreed.

I enjoyed the 2nd half a lot more than the first half so here's to hoping the show improves. I'll definitely be tuning in for a few episodes.

The part I liked was when it appeared like they were doing a flash-back but the kid was just laying in someone elses bed in someone elses abandoned home. That was pretty neat.

[Roundtheworld]

A bit slow but I liked it and I'll watch it. I also don't mind that we didn't see the invasion because I really like shows that focus on the 'after' things and seeing how people interact and try to survive, what become the new elements of society and all that. How teenagers go so quickly from curfews to soldiers. I also am not excited about the lead bandit not just being taken out. Hal is easy on the eyes and I like his girlfriend who knows when to keep her mouth shut. I hope we get to learn more about other people - like the 13 yo kid who called back the dog, where are his parents? How did he become a fighter rather than one of the school children?

[MrBananaGrabber]

Came in with rock-bottom expectations, and ended up enjoying it well enough. Can't remember a single character's name though.

I've heard enough "He's my son!" lines too. I get it show, there are children in peril. When we're getting hit over the head with that point so hard that there's was even a scene where Dr. Cotter is saying that to his other son it's not just hamfisted writing, it's confusing.

[catrina]

You know when Bloodgood (the doctor) said "there's a painting of mine in that house" I actually thought she'd take a side trip to go look at it. It's what I thought a "real" person would have done.

I liked the people walking around in the clean undisturbed homes. They might have been a little messier, but honestly it's only 7-8 months after the invasion and likely there are plenty of good clean homes and (unspoiled) food still around. (Although I bet in every bathroom someone took a dump in an unflushable toliet just cause they could!) In another couple of years though thanks to World Without People I know those houses will start collecting mold, rot and insects and won't be habitable at all.

Walking Dead's very first scene was Rick Grimes driving up to a deserted gas station and we see a little girl from behind. She turns and the audience sees she's a zombie. Credits, commericial break and the next season shows how Grimes ended up in the hospital.

Vs.

Falling Skies starts with a kid's exposition and character running away from a random firefight. Not at all compelling. This show has a great premise though. It could get there.

[Make It So]

The part I liked was when it appeared like they were doing a flash-back but the kid was just laying in someone elses bed in someone elses abandoned home. That was pretty neat.

I actually liked that, too. Serene room with sunlight shining in...oops, not so fast - it's still the catastrophic future. Nice fake, show.

Yet I still feel we need to see some of the actual invasion, even if in small doses. As has been previously mentioned, snippets were shown in the credits. Also, it may drive home a little more the individual sense of loss that each of the characters is experiencing, perhaps drawing us closer to them. In addition, with the title that the show has, it will be nice to actually see some of the aforementioned 'sky falling'.

Edited by Make It So, Jun 20, 2011 @ 11:39 AM.

[crowsworks]

Just ok, but then so were the first episodes of Babylon 5.

I could live with less of the "It's the end of the world and who are you dating?" crowd.

I liked the outlaw guy..mostly cause he's pretty.

I liked that the hero is more brains than brawn. You can acquire muscles, guns etc, but you can't get smarter.

There should be tons of game in those woods (food issues) without cars (the cause of overpopulation) the deer population would explode for a couple of years. Surely there are pigs and cows roaming around...even chickens. Pigs especially go wild really well, surely some got out of factory farms in the attacks. Horses would be around too and useful to haul stuff. They run on grass.

Food shouldn't be an issue. The civilians could scavenge farms, gardens and hunt game with bow and arrow and snares. Surely there is someone who could teach them.

Edited by crowsworks, Jun 20, 2011 @ 12:00 PM.